Apkallu (Final Fantasy XI)
Apkallu are a species of flightless sea bird indigenous to the islands of the Near East, where they are considered a protected species by the locals. Creatures of the water crystal, they are built for swift oceanic movement, and glide effortlessly under the water where they pursue fish as their source of food. Like penguins however, they have short legs and can only waddle about awkwardly once on land, making them individually vulnerable to land predators. Their main senses are sight and sound, and will take notice if opponents enter their visible range or make enough noise to catch their attention. The Apkallu apparently know just how many other Apkallu an individual has slain, which causes their aggression to ramp up. This could mean that they possess a complex, raven-like language, able to describe individuals to others so well that they could pick them out from a crowd. However it is more likely that the birds are simply extremely excitable, as this hatred also appears to be area-based, and all higher life forms will suffer the consequences should an individual who has slain too may of the birds in their lifetime show up. This hatred dissipates over long periods of time, and the Apkallu appear to be difficult - if not impossible - to calm down in any other manner. Apkallu can be domesticated by feeding them fish, specifically the Ahtapot and Veydal Wrasse. Once they know an individual will provide them with free food they tend to follow said individual around, though if they witness the slaying of other Apkallu they will become aggressive. The sea birds initially defend themselves by calling for help or yawning, which can put anybody who witnesses this to sleep. However if a few Apkallu are slain they will begin to more properly defend themselves, lunging forward with their beaks with such force they can knock an opponent back. As aggression increases, they will perform a magical "frigid shuffle" to paralyze those who view it. They have at least a basic understanding of white magic and will defend themselves relentlessly if their would-be predators begin healing themselves. Notes *They are closely related to the Inguza, which may indicate that they are related to real life penguins; however the Inguza may only be named in honor of the extinct penguin species that carries the same name. *Apkallu have a communal hate based on how many a player has killed (like Tonberries and Fomor). As a given player's Apkallu hate goes up, they start using a larger variety of attacks. Initially they only use Yawn. After as few as 4 kills they will begin to use Beak Lunge, and will begin use of Frigid Shuffle after approximately 15 kills. They start to react violently to White Magic (including attacking healers even after extremely low Cures), and become very difficult to kill (gaining both physical and magical damage resistance to the point of near invulnerability). As Apkallu hate rises, their rate of multiple attacks and Counter use will increase as well. It is currently unclear how to lower Apkallu hate rapidly, though it will decrease over long periods of time. Over a 1 week game time period, the hate will decrease by at least 20 kills, possibly more. Category:Final Fantasy Universe Category:Creatures Category:Fictional Creatures Category:Video Game Creatures Category:Fauna Category:Birds Category:Flightless Birds Category:Amphibious Creatures Category:Carnivores Category:Piscivores Category:Sentient Beings Category:Non-sapient Beings Category:Variable Aggressivity Category:DD Category:Characters Debuting in 2002